Afrikaans boom | ||
Albanian pemë | ||
Amharic ዛፍ | ||
Arabic شجرة | ||
Armenian ծառ | ||
Assamese গছ | ||
Aymara quqa | ||
Azerbaijani ağac | ||
Bambara yiri | ||
Basque zuhaitza | ||
Belarusian дрэва | ||
Bengali গাছ | ||
Bhojpuri पेड़ | ||
Bosnian drvo | ||
Bulgarian дърво | ||
Catalan arbre | ||
Cebuano kahoy | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 树 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 樹 | ||
Corsican arburu | ||
Croatian stablo | ||
Czech strom | ||
Danish træ | ||
Dhivehi ގަސް | ||
Dogri बूहटा | ||
Dutch boom | ||
English tree | ||
Esperanto arbo | ||
Estonian puu | ||
Ewe ati | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) puno | ||
Finnish puu | ||
French arbre | ||
Frisian beam | ||
Galician árbore | ||
Georgian ხე | ||
German baum | ||
Greek δέντρο | ||
Guarani yvyra | ||
Gujarati વૃક્ષ | ||
Haitian Creole pyebwa | ||
Hausa itace | ||
Hawaiian kumulāʻau | ||
Hebrew עֵץ | ||
Hindi पेड़ | ||
Hmong ntoo | ||
Hungarian fa | ||
Icelandic tré | ||
Igbo osisi | ||
Ilocano kayo | ||
Indonesian pohon | ||
Irish crann | ||
Italian albero | ||
Japanese 木 | ||
Javanese wit | ||
Kannada ಮರ | ||
Kazakh ағаш | ||
Khmer ដើមឈើ | ||
Kinyarwanda igiti | ||
Konkani झाड | ||
Korean 나무 | ||
Krio tik | ||
Kurdish dar | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) درەخت | ||
Kyrgyz дарак | ||
Lao ຕົ້ນໄມ້ | ||
Latin arbor | ||
Latvian koks | ||
Lingala nzete | ||
Lithuanian medis | ||
Luganda omuti | ||
Luxembourgish bam | ||
Macedonian дрво | ||
Maithili गाछ | ||
Malagasy hazo | ||
Malay pokok | ||
Malayalam വൃക്ഷം | ||
Maltese siġra | ||
Maori rakau | ||
Marathi झाड | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯨꯎꯄꯥꯃꯕꯤ | ||
Mizo thingkung | ||
Mongolian мод | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) သစ်ပင် | ||
Nepali रूख | ||
Norwegian tre | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mtengo | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଗଛ | ||
Oromo muka | ||
Pashto ونه | ||
Persian درخت | ||
Polish drzewo | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) árvore | ||
Punjabi ਰੁੱਖ | ||
Quechua sacha | ||
Romanian copac | ||
Russian дерево | ||
Samoan laau | ||
Sanskrit वृक्षः | ||
Scots Gaelic craobh | ||
Sepedi mohlare | ||
Serbian дрво | ||
Sesotho sefate | ||
Shona muti | ||
Sindhi وڻ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) ගස | ||
Slovak strom | ||
Slovenian drevo | ||
Somali geed | ||
Spanish árbol | ||
Sundanese tangkal | ||
Swahili mti | ||
Swedish träd | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) puno | ||
Tajik дарахт | ||
Tamil மரம் | ||
Tatar агач | ||
Telugu చెట్టు | ||
Thai ต้นไม้ | ||
Tigrinya ኦም | ||
Tsonga nsinya | ||
Turkish ağaç | ||
Turkmen agaç | ||
Twi (Akan) dua | ||
Ukrainian дерево | ||
Urdu درخت | ||
Uyghur دەرەخ | ||
Uzbek daraxt | ||
Vietnamese cây | ||
Welsh coeden | ||
Xhosa umthi | ||
Yiddish בוים | ||
Yoruba igi | ||
Zulu isihlahla |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In Afrikaans, "boom" also means "barrier" or "obstacle" |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "pemë" has a cognate in Latin "pomus" and is related to English "pomology" (the study of fruit and fruit trees). |
| Amharic | The Amharic word ዛፍ (tree) originates from an ancient Semitic root signifying 'growth' or 'flourishing,' and its cognates can be found in other Semitic languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic. |
| Arabic | The word "شجرة" has many meanings in Arabic, including tree, bush, shrub, and plant. |
| Armenian | 'Ծառ' is also used to mean 'life,' 'generation,' 'offspring,' or 'family line' in Armenian. |
| Azerbaijani | "Ağac" is related to the word "ağıl". Ağıl initially referred to trees that grew close together and later on to the stables that were made from wood. |
| Basque | The word 'zuhaitza' in Basque shares its root with the word for 'pillar', indicating the importance of trees as structural elements in traditional Basque houses. |
| Belarusian | The word "дрэва" likely derives from the Indo-European root "*drewh-", meaning "wood" or "tree". |
| Bengali | "গাছ" means "plant" in Bengali, and also refers to a "stake". |
| Bosnian | "Drvo" also means "wood" in Bosnian. |
| Bulgarian | The Slavic word “дърво” (“tree”) also means “timber, wood, or firewood.” |
| Catalan | "Arbre" in Catalan can refer either to a tree as a living plant, or to a wooden mast on a ship. |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "kahoy" is also used to refer to the "wooden" parts of a boat. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 树 originally meant "residence", but the character is now used to represent the concept of "tree" |
| Chinese (Traditional) | In traditional Chinese, the word 樹 can also refer to "planting" or "setting up" something. |
| Corsican | The word "arburu" means "tree" in Sardinian, and may also refer to a place where trees are cut down for timber. |
| Croatian | Stablo means 'tree' in Croatian, but is related to the words 'stand', 'stop' and 'stable' as it refers to something that is firmly rooted in the ground. |
| Czech | The word "strom" also means "current" or "flow" in Czech, as in "electricity" or "water. |
| Danish | The word "træ" also means "wood" or "timber". |
| Dutch | It originated as a euphemism for a gallows and also means the act of hitting, knocking, or pounding. |
| Esperanto | The word "arbo" in Esperanto can also refer to a stand or collection of trees. |
| Estonian | "Puu" can also mean "a wooden stick used for hitting" and "a kind of spirit" in Estonian. |
| Finnish | "Puu" also means "stick", such as a matchstick or a stick of wood on fire. |
| French | The word 'arbre' in French also refers to the mast of a ship and to the genealogical tree. |
| Frisian | The Frisian word "beam," which means "beam" and is cognate with the English "beam" of the same meaning and the English "beam" meaning "ray of light," is related to the Greek language word "phos," meaning "light." |
| Galician | "Árbode" (tree) probably derives from "arbos" (tree in Gaulish Latin; the origin of modern Galician "árbole"), a word of Celtic origin; hence, it is cognate with the word "arbre" meaning "tree" in Catalan and Spanish |
| Georgian | The word "ხე" in Georgian also refers to the material wood and the structure of a person's body. |
| German | The word "Baum" also has the alternate meaning of "master builder" in German and is cognate with the English word "beam" |
| Greek | The Greek word "δέντρο" has possible pre-Greek roots relating to the concept of growth or height. |
| Gujarati | In the ancient Sanskrit language, the word "वृक्ष" (vrksa) meant "to grow, to cover," and was related to the Greek "δρυς" (drys), also meaning "tree, wood," and to the Latin "robur," meaning "oak." |
| Haitian Creole | The word "pyebwa" in Haitian Creole is derived from the French word "arbre" and is also used to refer to a single plank of wood. |
| Hausa | Itace is derived from the root "it" meaning "stand" and is also used to refer to a pillar or post. |
| Hawaiian | The Hawaiian word "kumulāʻau" is also used to refer to a grove, collection, or group of trees. |
| Hebrew | In Hebrew, עֵץ (etz) not only refers to trees but also to wood, timber, and any rigid or strong object made of wood. |
| Hindi | "पेड़" derives from the Sanskrit word पाद /पाद:, meaning "foot," because they are firmly rooted to the ground. |
| Hmong | When used in compound words, the term "ntoo" can also describe items or substances made from wood. |
| Hungarian | Hungarian "fa" also means "wooden" or "wood" and is cognate with the English word "fire". |
| Icelandic | The word 'tré' has additional meanings beyond 'tree', including 'wood' or 'timber' in Icelandic. |
| Igbo | Osisi, meaning 'tree' in Igbo, is derived from the Proto-Benue-Congo root *si, indicating plant life and vegetation. |
| Indonesian | Although "pohon" means "tree" in Indonesian, the word can also refer to other large plants like bamboo. |
| Irish | The word "crann" in Irish ultimately derives from the Proto-Celtic "*kranno-," meaning both "tree" and "wood". |
| Italian | The word "albero" in Italian shares its etymology with the Latin word "arbor", and in some contexts can also mean "mast" (of a ship). |
| Japanese | The character 木 (tree) also appears in words like 林 (forest) and 柴 (firewood). |
| Javanese | The word "wit" in Javanese also means "knowledge" or "wisdom". |
| Kannada | The Kannada word "ಮರ" is also used to refer to the wooden doorframe or wooden crossbeam for a doorway or window in a house. |
| Kazakh | The word 'ағаш' ('tree') has alternate meanings such as 'wood', 'timber', and 'staff' in Kazakh. |
| Khmer | There is a Khmer word for |
| Korean | '나무' originally denoted a branch, and then spread to larger meanings including a bush and a tree. |
| Kurdish | The word 'dar' also refers to wood or timber in some contexts, especially in construction or carpentry. |
| Kyrgyz | The word дарак 'tree' is of Turkic origin and also means 'fork' |
| Latin | In Latin, 'arbor' can also mean 'axis' or 'center' in addition to 'tree'. |
| Latvian | The word "koks" in Latvian originates from the Indo-European root "*keh₂-", meaning "stake" or "pole". |
| Lithuanian | "Medis" can also figuratively refer to a person or a family that has deep roots in a particular place or community. |
| Luxembourgish | In Luxembourgish, "Bam" can refer to any large plant with a woody stem or trunk. |
| Macedonian | The word "дрво" is derived from Proto-Slavic *dervъ, meaning both "tree" and "wood." |
| Malagasy | "Hazo" also means "the trunk of a tree" in Malagasy. |
| Malay | The word "pokok" has several homonyms, including "principal" or "basic" (of something) and "item" (in a list). |
| Malayalam | The word "വൃക്ഷം" (tree) is also used to refer to a "clan" or "family" in Malayalam. |
| Maltese | The word "siġra" comes from the Arabic word "shajarah", which also means "tree". |
| Maori | The word 'rakau' in Maori also means 'weapon' or 'tool' |
| Marathi | झाड (jhāḍ) and वृक्ष (vṛkṣa) are both Sanskrit terms for 'tree', but झाड generally denotes a smaller plant while वृक्ष is used for larger ones. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "мод" (mod), meaning "tree", shares the same root as the English word "meadow". |
| Nepali | The word "tree" in Nepali, "रूख", also means "obstacle" or "problem". |
| Norwegian | The word "tre" is also a homonym for the number three in Norwegian. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "mtengo" in Nyanja (Chichewa) originates from the Proto-Bantu root "-tenga" meaning "to be erect, stand." |
| Pashto | The Pashto word for "tree" ("ونه") derives from the Proto-Indo-Iranian term *wr̥kṣa-, meaning "tree" or "wood." |
| Persian | The word "درخت" (tree) derives from the Proto-Iranian word *darakhta, meaning "something that grows". |
| Polish | The word "drzewo" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *drevъ, meaning "wood" or "timber." |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "árvore" is a cognate of the Latin word "arbor" which also means "tree". |
| Punjabi | The word "ਰੁੱਖ" (tree) in Punjabi has its roots in the Sanskrit word "वृक्ष" (vṛkṣa), meaning "to grow" or "to increase." |
| Romanian | The word "copac" comes from the Albanian word "kupë" and originally meant "stem". Alternatively, it can also refer to a device used to pull in a fishing net or an instrument for crushing flax and hemp. |
| Russian | The word 'дерево' has roots in many Slavic languages and its literal meaning used to be 'a substance growing in one place'. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "laau" is an archaic word for plant, and it is still used to mean plant in some dialects. |
| Scots Gaelic | “Craobh” can be also used to refer to family relations as ancestors (in which case it is always preceded by “cinnidh,” as in “cinnidh craobh” – “ancestor” – literally: “family tree”). |
| Serbian | The Serbian word "дрво" not only means "tree", but also refers to a large piece of wood. |
| Sesotho | "sefate" or other forms such as "sefate"/"mefata"/"lifate" derives from a single common root, -fata, which is associated with a state or condition (condition of length). |
| Shona | The word muti can also refer to a pole used for fencing, or a stick. |
| Sindhi | The word "وڻ" has also been used as a unit of land measurement in some parts of Sindh, referring to the area covered by the shade of a mature tree. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | As the name suggests, 'ගස' ('tree') can also mean 'body'. |
| Slovak | The word "strom" in Slovak also means "pillar", "column", or "pole". |
| Slovenian | The Slovenian word 'drevo' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'dьrvo' and also refers to the cosmic tree of life in Slavic mythology. |
| Somali | The term 'geed' also signifies life, endurance, and strength in Somali culture, reflecting the profound relationship between trees and human society. |
| Spanish | "Árbol" also means "mast" of a ship or "axle" of a carriage in Spanish. |
| Sundanese | "Tangkal" can also mean "to prevent" or "to defend" in Sundanese. |
| Swahili | The Swahili term "mti" derives from Proto-Bantu Bantu "*muti", originally meaning "medicine" or "tree used for medicine." |
| Swedish | In Swedish, "träd" comes from the Old Norse word "træ", which also meant "wooden beam". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "puno" in Tagalog has Austronesian roots and is also used to refer to a post or pillar. |
| Tajik | The word "дарахт" in Tajik comes from the Persian word "درخت" (derakht), which means "tree" and further from the Avestan word "darəga-," which means "firm, solid, stout, strong, enduring, steadfast, long-lived, lasting, firm believer, devout, follower, friend, comrade, ally, assistant, helper, champion, protector, guardian, supporter." |
| Tamil | "Maram" (tree) in Tamil also represents a person who speaks truth and wisdom as a synonym as well an elder person as one of several meanings. |
| Telugu | "చెట్టు" is a word used in Telugu to describe a tree, but it also has the alternate meaning of "to stand up or to rise". |
| Thai | "ต้น" means "base" or "origin" while "ไม้" means "wood", so "ต้นไม้" literally means "base/origin of wood" (i.e. tree). |
| Turkish | "Ağaç" also means "master" in Ottoman Turkish, especially when referring to the head of a household or a clan. |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "дерево" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*deru-," meaning "firm," "solid," or "wood." |
| Urdu | In Persian the word "درخت" comes from the word "در" (door, gate) and "خت" (closure), referring to the way trees block the path and create shade like a closed gate. |
| Uzbek | The word "daraxt" is derived from the Persian word "daraxt" and has the same meaning in both languages. |
| Vietnamese | Cây also means "plant" or "herb". |
| Welsh | "Coeden" also refers to a "grove of trees" or a "wood" in Welsh. |
| Xhosa | Umthi also refers to trees as a collective of people or a generation of people. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "בוים" (boym, pronounced like the English "boy") also refers to a large wooden barrel. |
| Yoruba | The word 'igi' can also refer to the trunk or branches of a tree, or to the wood from which they are made. |
| Zulu | The Zulu word 'isihlahla' can also refer to a person or a family lineage. |
| English | The word "tree" comes from the Old English word "trēow," which originally meant "wood" or "timber." |